Episcopal Church of the Ascension - Vestavia Hills, AL

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 13, 2026

Old Testament Lesson: Genesis 50:15-21

Psalm 103:8-13

New Testament Lesson/Epistle: Paul's letter to the Romans 18:21-35

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon: "We must do the work of decentering the self so that we can recenter God, of emptying the self so that God has space to fill us up with things that give us life. " The Reverend Emily C. Collette

Click Here for a Transcript of Emily's Sermon

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 6, 2026

Old Testament Lesson: Ezekial 33:7-11

Psalm: Psalm 119:33-40

New Testament Lesson/Epistle: Romans 13:8-14

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon Quote: "There is nothing more cruel than the leniency that abandons others to their sin. Nothing is more merciful than the sharp reprimand that calls another back from the path of sin.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

View Rev. Jack's Sermon Transcript Here

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost, August 30, 2026

Old Testament Lesson: Jeremiah 15:15-21

Psalm: Psalm 26:1-8

New Testament Lesson/Epistle: Paul's letter to the Romans 12:9-21

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon: "We must do the work of decentering the self so that we can recenter God, of emptying the self so that God has space to fill us up with things that give us life. " The Reverend Emily C. Collette

Click Here for a Transcript of Emily's Sermon

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost, August 23, 2026

Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 51:1-6

Psalm: Psalm 138

New Testament Lesson/Epistle: Romans 12:1-8

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon: "We don't have to know the whole story. We just need eyes to know Jesus in the other. Lord, give us those eyes." The Reverend Jack Alvey

Click Here for a Transcript of Jack's Sermon

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost, August 16, 2026

Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

Psalm: Psalm 67

New Testament Lesson/Epistle: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Gospel: Matthew 15:10-28

Sermon: "She didn't come to Jesus with an M.Div or EfM diploma... She came with a need and a cry for mercy. And Jesus called that great." The Reverend Jack Alvey

Click Here for a Transcript of Jack's Sermon

In this episode of our summer podcast series, On the Road Again, Jack is joined by Olivia Hill Sheffield, Church of Ascension's new parish office manager. Jack and Olivia discuss the relationship between doubt and faith: wrestling with the question, "Is doubt faith's mortal enemy or her lifelong dance partner?"

This episode will conclude our summer series. Let us know what you think we should discuss next!

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost, August 9, 2026

Old Testament Lesson: 1 Kings 19:9-18

Psalm: Psalm 85:8-13

New Testament Lesson/Epistle: Romans 10:5-15

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon: "Jesus has promised to be truly and deeply with us in everything we go through in life. Our job is simply to trust that this will be true." The Reverend Emily C. Collette

Click Here for a Transcript of Emily's Sermon

The Loaves and the Fishes!

"Jesus does not ask us to bring a perfect version of ourselves to the table…The version of you that showed up this morning is the version Jesus wants to bless."

Find Sermon Transcripts Here: http://bit.ly/4w0gSsp

Find Bulletins with Sunday's Lessons & Gospel Here: https://bit.ly/3RG4D6l

On the Road Again | Episode 5 | What is Happening at Communion?

What's actually happening when we take communion? Emily sits down with Ashley Monachelli, Director of Family Ministries at Ascension, to unpack the Eucharist — its ancient roots, the meaning behind the words and gestures at the altar, and why Episcopalians hold to the "real presence" of Christ rather than transubstantiation or simple memorial. They also talk through practical questions parents often ask: when kids can start receiving communion, the difference between the common cup and intinction, and what it means to receive a blessing instead.

Intro an...

"Until we turn on the news and see the world around us mirroring exactly the one we read about in scripture, the one that we pray for every Sunday in the Lord’s Prayer, there is still much work for us to do."

In Matthew 13;24-30, 36-43, we get a rare glimpse of Jesus explaining his parable to us. Jesus tells the crowd about a farmer sowing wheat, while his enemy follows and sows weeds among the wheat. The Farmer allows both to grow simultaneously, then separates them at harvest time. Have a listen to the Reverend Emily Collette's sermon on God's pursuit of us and invitation to do Holy work with God.

Click here for the Sermon transcript

On this episode of "On the Road Again," Emily and Jack to discuss the difference between spirituality and religion, and the purpose of being in a Christian community. Jack and Emily suggest that people drift from organized religion due to hypocrisy or institutional harm, but argue that true spirituality still relies on community, as God's own nature (and humanity's design) is inherently communal. Flipping the question, they discuss how religion can lose its spiritual core when it becomes a tool for power and self-righteousness, as seen with the Pharisees. Ultimately, they argue church membership matters because it de-centers the...

Click Here to View the Sermon Transcript

Click Here to View the Bulletin & Announcements

The Reverend Jack Alvey | June 28, 2026 | Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Click Here for the Sermon Transcript

Jack Alvey is joined by his seminary friend the Reverend Geoff Evans, Rector of St. James Parish in Jackson, Mississippi, for a conversation on one of the most contested questions in Christian theology: why did Jesus have to die, and why does it matter? From a controversial seminary T-shirt to Wendell Berry's Battle of the Bulge, the conversation ranges widely — but keeps returning to the same center: the cross is where God's justice and mercy meet, and where everything gets reorganized.

"Like those first few disciples, God calls us by name, too, into work that is wondrous and challenging and far too important to ignore. " The Reverend Emily Collette

Link to Sermon Transcript

"It costs something to follow Jesus...but what we gain is the peace that passes all understanding."

Link to Sermon Transcript

How many books are in the Bible? Depends on who you ask. Jack and Emily explore what it means to take scripture seriously — from the ancient heresy of picking and choosing (looking at you, Marcion and Thomas Jefferson) to the four senses of reading scripture, why Genesis starts with two different creation stories, and what to do when Jesus says things like "gouge out your eye." Along the way: what Episcopalians actually promise about the Bible, why "literal" is the wrong question, and why the parts that make you wince might be exactly where the gospel is working on yo...

On the Road Again is a summer podcast from Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Each episode, The Rev. Jack Alvey and The Rev. Emily Collette take up one of the big questions of the Christian faith. Wherever you are this summer, we're glad you're with us!

Episode 1: Why Does God Care the Episcopal Church Exists?

Music Credit

Intro and outro music: "Fiddle String" by Francie Roy Williams, courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Click here to view bulletin and announcements for 6.07.26: https://irp.cdn-website.com/16713e9c/files/uploaded/PDF+6+7+26+2nd+Sunday+after+Pent.+1030+Service+Bulletin+copy.pdf

Trinity Sunday | Readings

Sermon 5.24.26

Sermon 5.17.26

Sermon 5.10.26

Sermon 5.3.26

Serom 4.26.26

Sermon 4.19.26

Sermon 4.12.26

Sermon 4.5.26

Sermon 3.29.26

Sermon 3.22.26

Sermon 3.15.26

Sermon 3.8.26

The Rt. Rev. Glenda Curry - March 1, 2026 - Second Sunday in Lent

Sermon 2.22.26

Sermon 2.15.26

Sermon 2..8.26

Sermon 2.1.26

Sermon 1.25.26

Sermon 1.18.26